Probate

Probate is the legal process of settling the estate of a deceased person; specifically, distributing the decedent's property.

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In England and Wales, Ireland (N. and Eire) and Commonwealth countries, probate is obtained by executors of a will while Letters of Administration are granted where there are no executors.

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In some states, after a person residing in that state has died, his or her

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property immediately becomes the property of the spouse, if any, without the need for probate. (This is the case in states that recognize a married couple's property as community property or as tenancy by the entireties.) However, in cases where the surviving spouse does not automatically succeed to the decedent's property, then it is usually necessary to "probate the estate", whether or not the decedent had a valid will. A court having jurisdiction of the decedent's estate (often called a "probate court") supervises probate, in order to ensure the decedent's property is distributed according to the direction of his will and the laws of the state.

Legal: REDIRECT law...

Estate: Estate may refer to:...

Property: Property is any physical or intangible entity that is owned by a person or jointly by a group of persons. Depending on the nature of the property, an owner of property has the right to consume, sell, rent, mortgage, transfer, exchange or destroy their property, and/or to exclude others from doing th...